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Nowhere to go: 13-year-old offender missing
The case of a 13-year-old offender who has gone missing highlights the lack of resources available to treat youth in Minnesota who often have nowhere to go.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A teenage boy who was staying at a hotel after being released from juvenile detention is now missing.
What we know
Court records show the 13-year-old stole a car from his treatment provider last month.
The car was found, but authorities are still looking for the teenager who has a history of committing car thefts and armed robberies.
The case highlights the lack of resources available to treat young offenders in Minnesota who often have nowhere to go.
Stolen car
The boy was staying at the Staybridge Suites in Bloomington where he was receiving care from respite providers. According to police, one of those providers left his car keys on the counter while using the bathroom. The child took the keys and left in a Toyota Highlander.
The car was later found in Minneapolis, but the boy has not been seen since. A judge ordered authorities to make "active efforts" to find the child, including referring the case to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
In a statement, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it is barred from commenting due to the age of the child.
"As we have stated previously, our community faces an urgent crisis stemming from a lack of appropriate resources to meet the complex needs of our most vulnerable youth," the office said in a statement.
Nowhere to go
FOX 9 has done extensive reporting on the emerging crisis involving troubled kids in the juvenile justice system.
Earlier this year, a 12-year-old boy was also transferred to a respite hotel for care. A judge ordered his release after the boy was illegally held in juvenile detention for weeks.
Children found incompetent cannot be held in detention for more than 24 hours. Hennepin County repeatedly tried to have the boy placed in a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF), but children are consistently denied admission because there are only four such treatment centers in Minnesota, and they often lack staffing and other resources.
County funding treatment facility
In an effort to address the crisis on a local level, Hennepin County recently allocated $22 million for a youth behavioral health crisis stabilization center in south Minneapolis.
The county will spend $15 million to convert a county treatment facility to house troubled youth in a secure setting outside juvenile detention.
Another $7 million will go towards ongoing care and programming.
The project is expected to add up to 15 beds for kids in need.